How Employers Can Make
Every Employee a Top Performer

Whenever you make hiring decisions for your company, you’re setting up the business for growth and success. You may be filling a gap in your talent pool or providing reinforcement to critical business units, or both.

As an employer or recruitment agency, you know very well that your initial assessment of applicants doesn’t give you a holistic view of their actual competencies. Instead, these gradually unfold as they learn the ropes in fulfilling their job role.

That said, your professional guidance will prove to be highly valuable in harnessing your employees’ potential and motivation. When you work closely with your employees in these areas, they will not just settle in meeting the company’s minimum standards, but instead will raise the quality and level of their work performance beyond expectations.

Your employees know that being one of the company’s top performers isn’t a mere label that they can proudly own and wear. Employees who turn out to be achievers develop a real sense of purpose in seeing the company grow and considering themselves as part of that journey. With their extraordinary willpower to succeed, they can very well become role models for your organization, inspiring others to step up the way they did.

How to Bring Out the Best in Your Employees

To instill a culture of excellence in each of your employees, you’ll need to provide meaningful learning experiences that will allow them to develop both their hard skills and soft skills.

One way to achieve this is by designing mentoring or employee training programs, where they can learn a new skill or acquire knowledge from experts within or outside the organization. Whatever learning they receive can be used to improve your internal processes or shared with their peers, giving them a chance to work on their communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills at the same time. In this model of learning, everyone has an opportunity to expand their knowledge or skill set, so that no employee feels left behind.

You can also help your employees set personal and professional goals. Your role is to give an honest, objective, and helpful assessment of your employees’ strengths and weaknesses, so they can focus their attention on interventions in these areas. Through goal-setting and the mechanics you put in place, you’re grooming your employees to become well-rounded professionals of your organization in particular and of the business industry in general.

For many employees, an attractive rewards system is also an effective method of inspiring employees to work hard and smart. Whenever someone hits your company’s productivity or quality goals, or when someone comes up with new, creative solutions for the business, the recognition and rewards should follow soon after. This makes them feel valued and appreciated, encouraging them to maintain their achievements and look to new targets.

Last but not least, you need to strengthen the employer-to-employee relationship or culture in the workplace. Cultivate all things positive in your company, starting off with an open line of communication. Your employees need to feel confident and safe as they try to approach you with questions, concerns, or ideas. The level of professionalism in your team should never waver, regardless of their status in the company. Your employees may feel demoralized or dissatisfied when you fail to accord them due respect. In short, your employees should see you as someone they can trust.

Parting Shot

In a perfect world, you’ll have employees who are all competent, committed, and engaged at work. But the reality is that there are high achievers and poor performers in every organization.

Making every employee a top performer may sound like a grand goal, but if the company comes together – from top management to HR and team leaders to rank and file – in giving employees a positive work environment and fostering a workplace culture that encourages employees to help one another, it can create a ripple effect where everyone puts their best foot forward.

About the Author

Jomel Alos is a Consultant at Guthrie-Jensen Consultants, a management training and consultancy firm in the Philippines. He enjoys sharing his knowledge on human resource solutions, as well as helping businesses achieve greater growth, competitiveness, and profitability.

When he’s not working, he’s watching TV shows about designing like Tiny House Nation, Forged in Fire, and Ellen’s Design Challenge.

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